Buses are the fastest and cheapest way to travel from Leipzig to Prague (Prag / Praha). Trains are also useful but often slower and more expensive. The IC Bus of German Railways connects Leipzig and Prague in three hours. Flixbus also have direct but slower coaches. Trains are frequent and comfortable but more expensive and always require a transfer (usually in Dresden) when traveling from Prague to Leipzig.
By Bus from Leipzig to Prague
Leipzig is only around 250 km from Prague (Praha / Prag) but political history and geographic features ensured that transportation links between these two historic cities are often not optimal. Railways and even roads usually follow the more indirect route via Dresden and the Elbe Valley.
Buses provide the fastest and cheapest transportation options between Leipzig and Prague. The IC Bus operated by German Railways and Flixbus provide the most frequent bus services on this route. Free wifi and seat reservations are the norm on both with legroom comparable to second class train seats.
On the IC Bus from Leipzig to Prague
The fastest transportation link between Leipzig and Prague is on the twice-daily IC Bus that connects these cities non-stop in 3:05. These IC Buses are often the cheapest too.
Full-fare tickets can be as expensive as €60 but savings fares of €19 and €24 are easily found if booking a few days in advance. As the IC Bus is operated by German Railways, most Deutsche Bahn discount fares may be applied and families save as own children under 15 travel for free – names must be added at time of original reservation.
IC Bus tickets are available through all outlets selling normal German Railways tickets and cheapest online or from station ticket machines. The IC Bus on this route is sometimes also bookable as a Student Agency bus with the Czech company tickets sometimes a few euro cheaper.
The IC Buses but not other long-distance bus services are included in standard Deutsche Bahn railway timetables: Leipzig to Prague / Prague to Leipzig.
On Flixbus from Leipzig to Prague
Flixbus is Germany’s largest long-distance bus company and usually operate with green buses bearing either or both these names.
Flixbus has several daily direct buses traveling between Leipzig and Prague but these buses are often not non-stop. Flixbus direct coaches take between 3:40 and 4:45 on the Leipzig to Prague route. Further options requiring bus changes are best avoided.
Flixbus often have spectacularly cheap deals for advance reservations or during special marketing campaigns.
By Train from Leipzig to Prague
Trains provide convenient transportation from Leipzig to Prague but are slower and more expensive than buses. A train transfer is always required en-route – usually in Dresden. (Avoid schedules requiring more than one train change.)
Trains from Leipzig to Prague take around 4 hours – the basic routing is Leipzig to Dresden in an hour and then on to Prague in around 2:20. Train fares range from around €40 to €60 – many further discount fares may be applied. Deutsche Bahn tickets are cheapest online or from vending machines.
Bus Stops Used by Leipzig-Prague Coaches
The intercity buses use the following stops:
- Leipzig – long-distance buses stop in Goethestaße a block from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) across the road from the Novotel. The bus stops are simply marked as Fernbus Halte and not particularly well organized.
- Prague – most buses stop in Wilsonova Street outside the main train station in Prague (Praha hl.n. Autobusová St. Wilsonova). Some Flixbuses use the Prague UAN Florenc long-distance bus station – it is a few blocks to the north of the train station next to the similarly named metro station.
Travel to Prague from German cities, apart from Dresden and Berlin, is often easier by bus than by train. Bus services are also optimal for traveling from Prague to Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Heidelberg and Mannheim as well as from Prague to Munich (München).
